Gun for accompanying attacking troops



E.- SCHNE|DER.-

GUN FOR ACCOMPANYING ATTACKING TROOPS.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 24. I919.

Patented July 13, 1920.

I5 SHEETS-SHEET I.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 24, I919.

m. n Am 38 luv m J5 dw m E. SCHNEIDER.

GUN FOR ACCOMPANYING ATTACKING TROOPS.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 24, 1919.

Patented. July" 13, 1920.

I5 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

E. SCHNEIDER.

GUN FOR ACCOMPANYING ATTACKING TROOPS.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 24, ms. 1 Patented July 13, 1920.

I5 SHEETS- SJiEET 4.

E. SCHNEIDER.

GUN FOR ACCOMPANYING ATTACKINGTROOPS.

APPLICATION FILED OCT- 24. 1919- Pate'nted July 13, 1920.

I 5 SHEETS-SHEET 5 bm Ws/MM (m-RA I E. SCHNEIDER.

GUN FOR ACCOMPANYING ATTACKING TROOPS.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 24. IBIS. 1,346,561 Patented July 13, 1920.

I5 SHEETS-SHEET 6.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 24.1919.

Patented July 13, 1920.

15 SHEETS-SHEET 7- E. SCHNEIDER. GUN FOR ACCOMPANYING'ATTACKING TROOPS.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 24, I919. 7

Patented July 13, 1920.

l5 SHEETS-SHEET 8- E. SCHNEIDER.

GUN FOR ACCOMPANYiNG ATTACKING TRO OPS.

APPLICATION HLED OCT. 24, 1919.

1,346,561 v Patented July 13, 1920.

15 SHEETSSHEET 9- E. SCHNEIDER.

GUN FOR ACCOMPANYING ATTACKING TROOPS.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 24. 1919. 1,346,561 Patented July 13, 1920.

I5 SHEETS-SHEET 10.

E. SCHNEKDER.

GUN FOR ACCOMPANYING ATTACKING TROOPS.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 24. 1919.

1,346,561, Patented uly 13,1920.

15 SHEETS-SHEET H.

E. SCHNEIDER.

GUN FOR ACCOMPANYING ATTACKING TROOPS.

Patented July 13, 1920.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 24,19l9. 1,346,561

15 SHEETS-SHEET l2.

1M \W IW E. SCHNEIDER.

GUN FOR ACCOMPANYING ATTACKING TROOPS.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 24, ms.

1,346,561 Patented July 13, 1920.

15 SHEETS -SHEET l3- E. SCHNEIDER.

GUN FOR ACCOMPANYING ATTACKING TROOPS.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 24. 1919. 1,346,561 Patented ly 13, 1920.

I5 SHEETSSHEET 14.

E. SCHNEIDER.

GUN FOR ACCOMPANYING ATTACKING TROOPS.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 24. 1919.

1,346,561 Patented July 13, 1920.

I5 SHEETSSHEET 15.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EUGENE SCHNEIDER, OF PARIS, FRANCE, ASSIGNOR TO SCHNEIDER & CIE., OF PARIS, FRANCE, A LIMITED JOINT-STOCK COMPANY OF FRANCE.

GUN FOR ACCOMPANYING ATTACKING TROOPS.

Application filed October 24, 1919.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EUGENE SCHNEIDER, citizen of the Republic of France, a resident of Paris, in the Republic of France, have invented a new and useful Improved Gun for Accompanying Attacking Troops,which invention is fully set forth in the following specification.

This invention has for its object to provide an improved gun which is more particularly designed for accompanying attacking troops.

The improved gun is characterized by the feature that the gun carriage proper or gun carriage support is so constructed or arranged as to constitute for transport a kind of barrel surrounding the whole gun and adapted to roll over the ground around its longitudinal axis. The rolling movement may be effected by animal or other traction, or by man power, or by pushing, by means of fixed or removable shafts; these shafts being constructed in such a manner as to be capable of serving as trails for firing the un.

b The construction of the gun carriage or gun carriage support in the form of a barrel surrounding the gun proper, facilitates considerably the equilibrium of the whole combination in its rolling movement over very rough ground. It also allows of getting out the gun rapldly into battery position upon three points of support constituted respectively by the points of contact of the barrel-shaped carriage and of the two anchorages of the gun trails.

Various constructional forms of this invention are illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings in which Figures 1 to 4 illustrate a first constructional form of the invention.

Fig. 1 is a side elevation partly in section on the line I-I of Fig. 2, showing the gun carriage in battery position.

Fig. 2 is a corresponding plan partly in horizontal section on the line IIII of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a corresponding breech and elevation.

Fig. 1 is a plan on a smaller scale showing the gun in position for transport.

Figs. 5, 6 and 7 illustrate a second constructional form in which- Fig. 5 is a side elevational View of the gun in battery position.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 13, 1920.

Serial No. 333,103.

Fig. 6 is a front elevational view of the same.

Fig. 7 is a plan view of the same showing the gun in position for transport.

Figs. 8, 9 and 10 illustrate a third constructional form of the invention in which Fig. 8 is a side elevational view.

Fig. 9 is a plan view and Fig. 10 is a view partly in rear elevation and partly in vertical section showing the gun in battery position.

Figs. 11, 12 and 13 illustrate a fourth constructional form of the invention in which- Fig. 11 is a side elevational view of the gun carriage in the battery position of the gun.

Fig. 12 is a rear elevational View partly in section and Fig. 18 is a plan view partly in section showing in full lines the shaft-like trails in position for transport and in broken lines the same trails in battery position of the gun.

Fig. 14: is a view partly in end elevation and partly in section showing a fifth constructional form of the invention.

Figs. 15, 16, 17 and 18 illustrate a sixth constructional form in which Fig. 15 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view showing the gun in battery position.

Fig. 16 is a view partly in plan and partly in horizontal longitudinal section.

Fig. 17 is a rear elevational view partly in section in the line XVIIXVII of Fig. 16, and

Fig. 18 is a detail view.

As shown in these figures, the gun is lodged entirely in a casing-shaped mount A of steel plate for instance. This mount has the shape of a barrel, that is to say its surface may be considered as being generated by the revolution of a curved generating line around an axis. This surface is closed by two ends B, B

In this first constructional form, the said ends are pivoted to the wall of the casing A by hinges b, b respectively, and are capable of being raised and kept raised for firing as shown in Fig. 1, whereas for transport, they are fastened down or locked in such a manner as to constitute themselves actual ends for the casing-mount A.

The bearing of the gun upon the casing A, during rolling and during firing, is in this first example produced as follows:

The casing A carries internally in two diametrically opposite planes at right angles to a longitudinal axial plane, two plat't'orms U, C upon which there is engaged in circular guides c, c a small gun mount comprising two stay plates D in the bearing (Z of which the gun barrel 1) is journaled.

The barrel-shaped casing ABB is provided externally in the axis of its ends, with two trunnions F, F 011 each of these trunnions there is mounted loose a collar (.i', G provided with a truncated coni cal socket y, into which there can be engaged corresponding ends of the shafts or trails H for transport purpose. These trails, which are suitably cranked or bent, are, for transport, engaged in the sockets, g, g and fixed by means of keys h in a position in which their rear portions converge toward each other.

The wall of the casing A. is provided internally with two sockets a into which are engaged the shafts or trails II for the battery position (Figs. 1 to 3).

This engagement is made in the desired position in such a manner that the rear portions of the trails diverge from each other. The trails are provided in the usual manner with shoes 7& for the purpose of being anchored by means of stakes It: for instance. The shoes may be connected together by a stay I.

The movement of the gun mount D in the guiding saddles C, C can be effected by means of any suitable actuating mechanism. For the purpose of altering the elevation of the gun, the gun barrel can be pivoted in the gun mount 1) by means of suitable gearing.

For transport, the gun barrel and its accessories are lixed on the gun mount D by the elevating mechanism, and on the saddles C. (l by the training mechanism. Since the gun barrel is of reduced length, the ends B, B can be turned down and locked in that position upon the casing A after the shatts ll have previously been disengaged from the sockets a and engaged in the sockets g, 5/ of the collars G, G

In the case where the gun barrel has a length such thatit is impossible to lodge the whole oi: the chase inside the casing A, one of the ends l3, instead of being solid, may be suitably apertured to allow of the passage of the muzzle end of the gun barrel.

In the constructional form shown in Figs. 5, G and 7, one of the ends B is divided into two parts B B capable of folding respectively upwardly and downwardly for placing the gun in battery position, or folding against the wall of the casing A for transport; the whole end B B having then only an aperture sufficient for the passage of the chase of the gun barrel.

The shaft-like trails II can then be engaged for transport in .trunnions carried by the ends B and Ii -B respectively; but in order to avoid having to arrange these trunnions below or above the longitudinal axis of the gun, it is preferred to provide only one end trunnion F in the axis of the end 13 carrying as in the preceding example a collar G and a socket g.

The engagement of the other shatlt is elitected in a collar G arranged around the chase of the gun and provided with its socket In other respects the gun is constructed exactly as in the preceding example.

As shown in Figs. 8, 9 and 10 the gun barrel is supported by a cross piece J which serves to stay the two ends 13 of the barrelshaped casing; in other words the gun barrel is fixed absolutely in relation to the barrel-shaped gun carriage A.

The training and elevating of the gun are ettected in this case by shifting the cas ing A and the gun barrel fixed to it, to gether as a whole. For this purpose the shaft-like trails are of peculiar construction; they are divided each into two elements H H connected together by a sort of stretcher which allows of shortening or lengthening the combination H H within certain limits. This stretcher consists of a rod formed with two opposite screw threads K K a hand wheel L being fixed on the middle of the said rod. Screw threads are tapped in the ends opposite the sections H H for the screw K and screw K respectivelv.

The forward end of the section H of the shaft-like trails is pivoted by means of a Uardan joint on the trunnion F of the corresponding end B. A sleeve M movable around the said trunnion F, is for this purpose provided with two small trunnions on around which there are adapted to turn forks 72 carried by the heads of the sections H It will be readily perceived that when the shaft-like trails are anchored with their rear ends in the ground, the corresponding trail can be shortened or lengthened by suitably operating the hand wheel L. H the right hand trail is lengthened while the left hand trail is shortened or not shortened, the barrel-shaped casing will be caused to turn to the left around its vertical symmetry axis. Vice versa, it the lefthand trail be lengthened, while at the same moment the right hand trail is shortened or not, then the casino will be caused to turn to the right.

The casing A is fixed to the trails by tie-rods which, while allowing the casing A to turn around its vertical axis for training the gun, are however so constructed as to constitute a mechanism which will allow the said casing to turn around its horizontal axis for the purpose of elevating the gun.

Each tie-rod is formed of two sections N, N screwing one on the other. The section N which consists for example of a screw threaded rod, is hinged at its free end '11, on a pin 6 projecting from the corresponding end B. The section N screwing on the section N is hinged by means of a ball and socket joint n in a boss carried by the trail section H This section N carries a hand wheel N By operating the hand wheels N simultaneously and in the same direction, the combination N. V will be shortened or lengthened according to that direction, and consequently the casing will be caused to rotate around its axis so as to produce a lowering or an elevation of the gun chase.

The casing A which is continuous during the rolling of the gun during transport, comprises elements capable of being turned down or turned up for firing, for instance a front element A adapted to be turned down in front of the muzzle of the gun when the gun is in battery position, and a rear element A adapted to be turned up opposite the breech so as to allow of charging the gun and if necessary also of a certain amount of recoil of the gun barrel.

As shown in this constructional form, the shaft-like trails remain alwavs pivotally connected to the trunnions carried by the end B.

As shown more particularly in Figs. 8 and 10, one of the trunnions m may have fixed to it a bracket 0 for a sighting apparatus P and the corresponding end B may be marked with an arc-shaped scale Q having its center on the axis of the trunnions F. For transport, the ends of the screw threaded rods N may be disengaged from the corresponding pivot pin 6 and hooked on to the trail section H as indicated in dot and dash lines in Fig. 8.

As shown in Figs. 11, 12 and 13, the ends B of the barrel-shaped casing are formed with bearings 72 for trunnions R to which are fixed or pivoted externally the heads of the shaft-like trails H. These trunnions R serve as supports for or are fixed to, a ring S. In this ring, a gun mount T may be pivoted by means of trunnions 25 arranged along a diameter of the ring at right angles to the axis of the trunnions R.

The gun barrel E is iournaled in the gun mount T. The gun is trained by pivotal movement of the gun mount T in the ring S, produced for instance by a mechanism of which one part, namely the screw U provided with a hand wheel a and carried by the ring S, actuates a corresponding part such as the toothed sector V carried by the gun mount T.

The gun is elevated by any suitable known means comprising an element fixed to the gun barrel, and an element fixed to the gun mount T. As shown in Figs. 11 and 12, a screw-shaft U is journaled in a bracket on the gun mount T and is provided with a hand-wheel u for rotating the same. This screw-shaft engages a segmental gear 0 fixed concentrically on the trunnion e of the gun. By operating this mechanism, the elevation of the gun can be varied. A variable part of the casing A may be made removable or disappearing for the purpose of firmg.

As in the preceding example, for firing the gun, the casing A may be fixed to the trails by means of tie-rods M. During transport, the push or pull exerted upon the shafts will produce a rotation of the easing A and the bearings 72 fixed thereto around the trunnions R that are fixed to both the ring S and the said shafts.

Fig. 14 illustrates a modification of the constructional form which is hereinbefore described. In this modification the con1- plete ring S is replaced by a cradle or half ring. The trunnions R, instead of being fixed to the half ring S, have internal extensions 1" serving as pivots for the cradle.

For firing, the cradle S may be fixed on the trunnions R by means of rotary bolts W which may be engaged in sockets 7 formed in projections of the trunnions R, 1.

Each of these bolts W has for this pur pose a helical groove w in which is engaged a stud fixed to the cradle S.

The rotation of the bolt W by means of the handle W 1 causes the bolt to move out of the way and out of the socket 7 The bolts are moved out of the way for transport, thereby avoiding the necessity of inclining the cradle and gun barrel together as a whole.

In the constructional form shown in Figs. 15 to 18, as in the two preceding examples, the barrel-shaped casing A of which one part can be moved out of the way for firing (Fig. 15), is so arranged as to turn during transport around the trunnions R that are fixed to the shaft-like trails H. The characteristic feature of this modification is that the trunnions R are prolonged internally in such a manner as to form bearings R for the trunnions e of the gun barrel E. These bearings are connected by a bridge R which carries a part (the screw U), of the elevating mechanism, with which there meshes a toothed member such as the sector R carried by the gun barrel.

In this modification the training of the gun can be effected by means of a system of shaft-like trails composed of two sections H H connected together by a stretcher K K as described in the constructional form shown in Figs. 8 to 10.

The elements H of the trails are hinged to the trunnions It by means of a Cardan joint shown in vertical section in Fig. 18.

\Vhat I claim is:

1. In a gun mount, the combination of a barrel-shaped gun casing adapted to roll over the ground, trunnion bearings supported in axial alinenicnt of said casing, trails adapted to engage said hearings to serve as shafts for traveling and to serve as anchoring trails for firing.

2. In a. gun mount, the combination of a barrel-shaped gun casing adapted to roll over the ground, trunnion bearings supported in axial alinement of said casing, trails adapted to engage said trunnions to serve as shafts for traveling and to serve as anchoring trails for firing and means for training and elevating said gun.

3. In a gun mount, the combination of a barrel-shaped gun casing adapted to roll over the ground, end closures for said casing provided with trunnion bearings and trails adapted to engage said hearings to serve as shafts for traveling and to serve as anchoring trails for firing.

4t. In a gun mount, the combination of a barrel-shaped gun casing adapted to roll over the ground, a gun mounted to move therein in zenithal and azimuthal planes, end closures for said casing provided with trunnion bearings and trails adapted to engage said be'arings to serve as shafts for traveling and to serve as anchoring trails for firing.

In a gun mount, the combination of a barrel-shaped gun casing adapted to roll over the ground, end doors for said casing provided with trunnion bearings, trails adapted to engage said hearings to serve as shafts for traveling and to serve as anchoring trails for firing, oppositely disposed platforms mounted in said casing having circular guides, and oppositely disposed stay plates having bearings for receiving a gun and adapted to move in said guides for training.

6. In a gun mount, the combination of a barrel-shaped gun casing adapted to roll over the ground, end doors for said casing provided with trunnions, collars revoluble on said trunnions provided with sockets, trails adapted to engage said sockets to serve as shafts for traveling and to serve as anchoring trails for firing.

7. In a gun mount, the combination of a barrel-shaped gun casing adapted to roll over the ground, end closures for said casing provided with trunnion bearings, trails adapted to engage said bearings for traveling and sockets within said casing for receiving the ends of said trails for anchoring when firin 8. In a gun mount, the combination of a barrel-shaped gun casing adapted to roll over the ground, a gun supported therein, trunnion bearings supported in axial alinement of said casing, trails adapted to engage said bearings to serve as shafts for traveling and to serve as anchoring trails for firing, and means for imparting relative movement between said casing and gun for training the latter.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification.

EUGENE SCHNEIDER.

Witnesses CHAS. P. PnEssLY, ANDRE MosTIoKER. 

